Chamber Highlights Report on Traffic to Rogue Sites

POLITICO
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s GIPC is touting a report today that finds that 43 rogue websites received more than 53 billion visits annually. The report, conducted by online protection firm MarkMonitor, also says that popular file-sharing sites Megavideo.com, Megaupload.com and Rapidshare.com collectively received more than 21 billion visits annually. That latter site, we should note, is on the Congressional Anti-Piracy Caucus’ copyright watch list – and RapidShare, as we reported, has hired lobby help in D.C. to fight back. (More on the report: http://bit.ly/fqQB94)

“These websites are profiting off the hard work of America’s innovative and creative industries and the thousands of Americans that they employ,” said Steve Tepp, senior director of internet counterfeiting and piracy for the GIPC. “The MarkMonitor report underscores the urgency of enacting proactive policies to enhance enforcement tools to shut down these rogue websites.” The Chamber has been a vocal backer of Leahy’s bill against copyright infringement that was unanimously passed by the SJC this fall, but is currently being held up in the Senate.